With little fanfare, a rather special event took place in Canberra last week on the subject of fatherhood. Liana Leach at The ANU, and Amanda Cooklin at La Trobe University, quietly co-hosted a one-day forum on the importance of the role of fathers in caring for children.

For the first time, and through the foresight and efforts of these two researchers, the Forum brought together academics, business leaders, government policymakers, and interested members of the public to talk about dads.